Auburn University

Administrative and Professional Assembly

 

A & P Assembly Meeting

 

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.

Student Center

 

Approved

 

 

I.                    Call to Order

Todd Storey, Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:05

II.                  Roll Call

Present: Christopher O'Gwynn, Seth Humphrey, Mark Wilson, Julie Nolen, Katie Mantooth, Phillip Coxwell, Wiebke Kuhn, Regina Williams, Tammy Hollis, Elizabeth Bowersock, John Owen, Jane Hoehaver, John Folmar, David Hennessey, Kathy Harmon, Todd Storey, April Staton, Maria Folmar

Kirsten Perkins for Susan Canaan, Victoria Tate for Barnese Adair-Wallace, Kelly Birchfield for Lisa Powell-Brantly

Absent: Greg Ruff

Estimated attendance in audience: ~30

III.                Approval of Minutes - May 21, 2008

Minutes approved as submitted.

IV.                Comments from the Chair - Todd Storey

Todd welcomed everyone and said he is happy to preside over his first meeting as he was out of town during our last meeting. The Student Center is the building where we will typically meet but he is not sure of the room number. He announced that there will be a call for standing committees nominations later this month via email. It will come from the Nominations and Election Committee. The people selected will serve for three years, and there may be some need to fill seats that people have vacated.

Before introducing him, Todd shared that there is a new ombudsperson on campus who will serve for two years, and Todd served on the selection committee. The appointment came from internal sources from a tenured or retired tenured faculty. From a choice of great applicants, three were interviewed and Dr. James Wohl was selected.

Dr. Wohl said he was grateful to be here though he has not been officially put in place yet. He shared that his role is to assist in an informal, private way to work out problems but said that formal paths to dealing with grievances have not been replaced, but he can provide assistance before it comes to that point perhaps. He emphasized that his office will provide confidential assistance, and nothing will be divulged without the person’s permission as it might help in resolving an issue. He also shared that he is an unbiased/neutral option who will not be serving the University or the employee. He also said that he is an informal option. Finally, he said there will be annual public reports that share number of visits, employee classifications, and categories of concern but no individual information.

 

He said that he is a member of a national organization of ombudsman and will be in line with their standards of practice. He welcomes people to contact him with any questions.

Todd said he is scheduled to meet with the Executive Committee at the Sep 3 meeting. Todd said he will post the link to the ombudsman office and contact information on the A&P website. He also emphasized that this role serves the three employee groups on campus.

V.                  Executive Committee April Staton

In April we discussed and set the calendar dates for all Executive Committee and Assembly meetings. We finalized the Consulting Policy which yielded a one year trial period from June 2008 – 2009. We conducted a new Assembly Member Orientation. We finalized recommendations for the first Administrative Fellowship. The Chair of Grievance Committee gave a report on the operation of their first case. We organized our annual retreat where we worked on issues before the Assembly and how we would tackle them as an employee group. We have discussed childcare and wellness initiatives and are partnering with other employee groups. And finally we have begun discussing upcoming committee assignments.

VI.                Information Items & Updates

a.      Presidential Fellowship - David Hennessey

Todd shared that A&P has two members serving in the Presidential Fellowship and said that a more timely process will be in place by next year, but April will be the deadline for next summer’s program. Todd said you can look to receive information this winter.

David shared that Kirsten Perkins is the other person who participated in the program with him. They were given an office to work out of in the President’s Office to see how the University cross functions work together. They sat in on meetings and met privately with administrative leaders across campus. He said it was a great opportunity to learn more about the University. He also shared that rumors are often ended just by gaining information and he has seen how much information is available when sought out.

b.      Wellness - David Hennessey

David reported that the university has hired out a local web company to create a website for Wellness that will highlight all wellness resources available on campus (physical, emotional, etc.). There will be no new services at this time, but the website will pull everything that is available together.

The University is aligning with EAMC so that employees can go have a breast cancer screening on two separate days this year. There will be information distributed later, and it will likely take place in November.

In addition, there is a two mile walk (A Race with a Mission…) to promote the breast cancer early detection and raise funds to provide free screening for women who are uninsured. David challenges each A&P representative to put together a five-person team and participate. He will send a link soon so people can register on line if they like.

c.      Childcare Initiative – Todd Storey

Todd gave the Childcare Initiative update on Dr. Robert Locy’s behalf. All three employee governance groups have given surveys over the past few years, and all employees feel there is a need for on-campus childcare for both employees and students. Through the strategic plan, Dr. Gogue is trying to increase the graduate student population, and he recognizes that a lack of childcare is a detriment to recruiting graduate students. The University’s research park also needs easily accessible child care. There is a University Senate committee looking at this issue, and the A&P Executive Committee submitted three names to serve on the committee: David Hennessey, Brenda Wood and April Staton were submitted to the Senate and Dr. Locy shared that two will serve on the committee with a third serving as an alternate to cover meetings when one cannot be present. Dr. Donna Sollie will chair that committee. There is a recognized need and Todd hopes we will hear something soon about the committee getting started. We will update the A&P membership as it comes.

VII.              New Business

Todd asked that we bring any needs and ideas that we hear of from our constituent areas to the group so we can have projects and goals for this year. He reminded people to use the Consulting Policy so we don’t lose it. It provides 6 additional days of “leave” if you are being asked to speak at a conference for pay, for example.

VIII.            Open Forum

Todd reminded everyone that each person will have no more than 2 minutes and that the Open Forum lasts for 15 minutes.

Regina Williams shared there are concerns about the College of Veterinary Medicine staying open during the Christmas holiday as well as bank holidays. Many employees do not feel it is fair to lose their holidays as A&P employees. She spoke with the Dean of the College, and he said that there is a conversation with the Provost, Lee Armstrong and the Dean to see if there is a way to work out a resolution.

Natalie Royer stood and recapped why University employees have a longer holiday (compensation when raises weren’t available some time ago). In the past they have served their animals in different ways by being open at a low capacity. Now, they have been asked to be open all but a day and a half at Christmas and a day and a half at New Years. Exempt employees have no guaranteed benefit to replace what is being taken away. Non-Exempt will be paid time and a half for those hours. Comp vacation time is hard for many A&P employees to use as they are required to be there so much. Childcare is another issue as many centers are closed during that time. They may not take vacation during this time.

Helen Gill a pharmacist at the Vet School is in a tough place because she is sometimes considered to be faculty and sometimes considered A&P. Her department is unique in that she must be available any time the clinic is open. She has worked many holidays before, but feels people are upset more that this change is being forced upon them (as no one has been consulted) than that they have to work. Students are also being told they will work those days if that is their rotation, and many students are from KY and will be unable to go home. She finds it hard to believe that people will bring in dogs during Christmas for $700.

Elizabeth Whatley manages the pathology lab. She has never seen retaliation in the pathology department, but she feels that the leadership in another area is “anti-family” and only cares what outside entities think of Auburn University, not about the welfare of the employees. They are speaking because they can retire, but there are many who are afraid to speak up because they fear retaliation.

Teresa O’regan shared that fairness is her concern as there are some who will not have to work even though they administration said that in “fairness” everyone has to work. She doesn’t feel that this is being managed well, and she wishes that management would have approached staff to talk about it so that morale would not be so low.

Regina Williams stood up again to explain that boxes were distributed to seek feedback. She said that she thought the boxes would be a way for those scared to speak up to express their concerns or those who couldn’t make meetings because of work. They were placed in three different locations, and she only received one response. It stated that childcare is an issue and that any compensation during this time will go to expensive daycare. The email she sent out came back to her, and she will have to talk to IT to figure out what happened. Dr. Jamie Bellah and Dean Boosinger have held three meetings to listen to people’s suggestions and concerns. She just wished that this had happened at the beginning, not now. She feels it would have been better accepted if it had been held this way. Now they are working towards a peaceful resolution, but there are many hard feelings. She is concerned that there will be a trickle down effect across campus.

Curtis Hanson with Biological sciences was looking at the Consulting Policy and wanted clarification on the use of “specialized University equipment” and if that encompasses desktop computers. Maria said that it is implied that no University equipment should be used if the employee is being compensated by another entity. She said your dean or department head might talk to you about that and that she can’t make that determination. She just knows what the intent was at the beginning. Todd recommended working with your supervisor regarding what you can and can’t do.

IX.                Next Meeting: October 1 at 1 p.m. Location TBA

New committee chairs will be announced at that time.

X.                  Adjourn:

Todd adjourned the meeting at 1:52 p.m.

XI.                Tour of New Student Center